1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a lawn mower. More particularly, the invention relates to a riding type mower adapted to be operated by an operator riding thereon to perform grass mowing work.
2. Description of Relevant Art
There have been put to practical use a number of riding type mowers, which included a grass cutter disposed under a vehicle body and driven with an engine to mow lawn grass, and was adapted to be operated by an operator riding thereon to perform grass mowing work, while mowing with driven wheels.
Such riding type mower has accompanied desiderata in relation to the preference for a mower simplified in the constitution, substantiating a compact design of the configuration, while achieving excellent weight balance thereof, which preference is inclined to be all the more intensified in achieving the compact design, as the longitudinal length of the mower becomes shorter and the operating position of the driver riding thereon is kept lower and besides the transverse width of the mower is reduced. Moreover, in the attempt to meet such preference, more rational and functional arrangement is desired of various components such as a carburetor and a fuel tank of a fuel supply system, whereas it is unfavorable for the fuel supply system to be disposed so as to experience tbermal influences from an exhaust system of hot temperatures.
In this respect, as an example of conventional riding type mower of the class described, there is one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,169,358.
In the riding type mower according to this U.S. patent, from an engine disposed in the vicinity of the rear part of a vehicle body, engine power was transmitted through a transmission route to a grass cutter level-adjustably attached to the underside of the vehicle body, substantially in the central part thereof, as well as through another transmission route to rear wheels. More particularly, the cutter was accommodated in a cutter housing level-adjustably attached to the underside of the vehicle body, substantially in the central part thereof.
In this riding type mower, the transmission routes from the engine to the grass cutter and to the rear wheels, respectively, were relatively short and simplified to some extent, when compared with corresponding transmission routes in a conventional riding type mower which had an engine disposed in the front part of a vehicle body, like ordinary passenger cars. In the front-engine type riding mower, the transmission route from the engine to a grass cutter disposed substantially under the longitudinal central part of the vehicle body was inherently long and complicated, as well as that from the engine to rear wheels.
Moreover, in the front-engine type riding mower, the engine had an installation space thereof separated to be occupied at a longitudinal distance from a mounting space of a driver's seat, so that the total vehicle length was resricted, when trying to contract, due to the separation of such spaces in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. To the contrary, in the riding type mower according to the U.S. patent, the engine was enveloped with a cover member having a driver's seat mounted thereon, thus eliminating the need of providing an exclusive longitudinal space for installation of the engine, thereby achieving the contraction of the vehicle length to some extent.
However, in the riding type mower according to the U.S. patent, the transmission route from the engine to the grass cutter, as well as that therefrom to the rear wheels, was complicated in the structure. Particularly, between the engine and the level-adjustable cutter disposed close to each other, the power transmission route was complicated by the provision of too many component parts for the necessary adaptation to absorb vertical displacement of the cutter.
Further, in this riding type mower, the cutter housing was considerably projected beyond transversely outside faces of the rear wheels and those of front wheels, thus constituting the inconveniency in the packing and carrying work.
In this respect, in certain working places, most of the ground to work for mowing or move about while riding on a mower may include large undulations and/or slopes, thus being small of flat surface, and in certain cases, it may be needed for a mower not only to advance but also to retreat. Such being the case, for mowers it is generally unfavorable to have various equipments or component parts outwardly projecting beyond the region of vehicle body.
Still more, in the mower according to the aforesaid U.S. patent, although the vehicle length was effectively shortened to some extent, the engine as well as the driver's seat was disposed still at the rear of the cutter housing, thus failing to sufficiently effect such contraction of vehicle length, with a desideratum left unfulfilled.
The present invention has been achieved to effectively solve such problems and overcome objects of conventional riding type mowers including the mower according to the aforesaid U.S. patent.